Universal bottle pocket



March 1959 c. J. RAYMANQ 2,878,920

UNIVERSAL BOTTLE POCKET Filed April 11, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

Charles (X1 342 7726222 March 24, 1959 c. J. RAYMAN UNIVERSAL BOTTLE POCKET Filed April 11, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Cfiarlas r] fia zymazz March 24, 1959 C. J. RAYMAN UNIVERSAL BOTTLE POCKET 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 11, 1955 ..|L rlllllllllllk INVENTOR.

arles' cf MAM- m7 March 24, 1959 c. J. RAYMAN UNIVERSAL BOTTLE POCKET 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 11, 1955 INVEN TOR. FCgZj/JYZ (ZZZ UNIVERSAL BOTTLE POCKET Charles J. Rayman, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignor to Cherry-Barrel] Corporation, Chicago, R1,, at corporation of Delaware Application April 11, 1955, Serial No. 500,411. Claims. Cl. 198-131 My invention relates to bottle pockets such as are used in mechanical washers for milk bottles and the like, and has reference more particularly to a novel pocket structure adapted to handle milk bottles of the various sizes most commonly used in the dairy industry.

A substantial proportion of the fluid milk sold in this country and others is packaged in glass containers which are re-used an average of 30 or more times each. Each time a bottle is returned, it must be washed, rinsed, and sterilized before it can be used again, and this cleaning operation is usually handled in bottle washingzmachines.

Such machines ordinarily have a continuous conveyor comprising a succession of laterally arranged racks, each containing a row of from 4 to 16 bottle pockets into which milk bottles are inserted neck first. Each bottle pocket carries its bottle through successive cycles. Firstly, the bottles are conveyed downwardly to a tank containing caustic solution in which the bottles are permitted to soak. In this tank the bottles stand upright and are moved intermittently therethrough by the respective bottle pockets. Secondly, the bottles are conveyed upwardly out of the tank to a tilted and then to an inverted posi-' tion Where the soaking solution drains. out of the bottles back into the tank. Thirdly, the bottles are carried in inverted position to successive positions over spray nozzles which inject water into the bottles to rinse them and then inject steam to sterilize them." The bottles then move downwardly to a discharge position on their sides where they are ejected mechanically or by gravity.

Because milk is sold in various sized containers rang-- ing from half-pint bottles to gallon jugs, and because the bottles come in a variety of shapes and neck sizes, dairy operators have been required to have two or more bottle washers or make complex, time-consuming adjustments in. order to handle bottles of different sizes and shapes. The limiting factor in the versatility of a bottle washer in: handling various size bottles is the: bottle pocket.

Aside from the gallon jug, which requires a special bottle pocket of its own, the glass. bottle sizes most commonly used in the dairy industry are tall half-pints, quarts of various shapes, and half gallons of round, square; and oblong shapes. Heretofore, there has been no one bottle pocket capable of properly handling bottles of all of these. various sizes.

The. principal object of my invention-is to design a bottle pocket adapted to receive, wash, and discharge milk bottles of allthe most widely used. sizes, shapes, and neck openings efficiently and without wedging or jamming; i

It is another object of' my invention toncause proper centering even of the smallest size bottles in the-pocket when the pocket is positioned over a. spray nozzle so as to insure that the spray solutions and rinse; waters are directed into the interior of the bottles. i

It is a further object of my invention to provide a bottle pocket having a neck portion to keep the bottle neck properly aligned therein soas to preclude the bottle becoming off-set in the pocket and thus to make a 2,878,920 Patented Mar. 24, 1959 sure that the ejection device will not by-pass or wedgethe bottle during the discharge thereof from the pocket.-

And it is a still further object of my invention to provide such bottle pockets in a rack assembly which. is simple in design and sturdy in construction so as to resist distortion and deflection, these and other object's: being accomplished as hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the top of a rack of bottle pockets embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section, of the rack; of bottle pockets shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a top view of my bottle pocket showing dia" grammatically a tall half-pint bottle therein;

Fig. 5 is a side view in section corresponding to Fig. 4 and showing a spray nozzle positioned under the bottle pocket;

Fig. 6 is a top view of my bottle pocket with a pint; bottle therein;

Fig. 7 is a side sectional view thereof;

Fig. 8 is a top view of my bottle pocket with a square quart bottle therein;

Fig. 9 is a side sectional view thereof;

Fig. 10 is a top view of my bottle pocket with an oblong half gallon bottle therein;

Fig. 11 is a side sectional view thereof;

Fig. 12 is a top view of my bottle pocket with a square half gallon bottle therein;

Fig. 13 is a side sectional view thereof; and

Fig. 14 is a top sectional view of my bottle pocket in discharge position showing ejection facilities and a halfpint bottle being ejected.

Referring now to the drawing, the bottle pocket embodying my invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 20 and comprises a shell consisting of two identical mating halves 21.

The main body portion of each half 21 has a central wall panel 22 and side walls 23 and 24 at the respective sides thereof and forming corresponding obtuse angles therewith. Thus the side walls 23 and 24 are outwardly flared with respect to the central panel 22.

Each pocket 20 is open at one end and at the other end has an integral funnel-like portion 25 extending therefrom, the funnel-like portion having concave walls as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and others. At the end of the funnel-like portion 25 remote from the main body portion, an integral cylindrical extension 26 of reduced di-' ameter is provided, and the free end thereof has an integral inverted frustro-conical seat 27 therearound. Di ametrically opposed slots 28 are provided in the frustroconical seat 27, and the cylindrical extension 26, and about midway into the funnel-like portion 25.

Each pocket half 21 is identical to the other and they are shaped to provide the funnel-like portion 25, the cylindrical extension 26, the frustro-conical seat 27, and the slots 28 when joined together in mating face-to-face relation, as shown in Fig. l viewed from the open end; As will be noted, the main body portion of the pocket 20 is of substantially hexagonal lateral section.

Each side wall 23 is provided along its free longitudinal edge with two spaced internal tabs 29 which are off-set outwardly about the thickness of the material from which the pocket half 21 is made. Each side wall 24 is prt vid'ed along its free longitudinal edge with two shallowelongated notches 30 spaced the same distance apart and positioned to correspond with the tabs 29. The length of thenotches 30 is sufficient for snug engagement of the tabs 29.

Thus when two pocket halves 21 are assembled in mating relationto form a bottle pocket, the: tabs 29"02 the respective side walls 23 engage in the notches 30 of 3 the respective side walls 24 to insure proper longitudinal alignment of the two halves, 21. Likewise, the tabs 29 extend beyond the notches 30 along the outside of the respective side walls 24 to insure proper lateral alignment of the two halves 21.

The central panel 22 of each pocket half 20 is distended at two longitudinally aligned places to provide projections 31. When a row of bottle pockets 20 is assembled, the projections 31 of one pocket 20 engage the corresponding projections 31 on the next adjoining pocket 20 to insure uniform spacing of each bottle pocket 20 from the next.

A plurality of pockets 20 are assembled in lineal relation as shown in Fig. 1 to form a rack 32, the usual number of such pockets in a rack 32 being from 4 to 16, although any other number may be used. The rack 32 is provided. with corrugated side members 33 and somewhat U-shaped end brackets 34.

The pockets 20 and the side and end members 33 and 34 are usually made of ordinary carbon steel, although they may be made of some other suitable material. The pocket halves 21 are welded together where the tabs 29 overlay the side walls 24. Adjoining pockets 20 are welded together where the projections 31 meet. The corrugated side members 33 are welded at the points of contact to each pocket 20. And the U-end brackets 34 are welded at their edges to the corrugated side members 33 as may be seen in Fig. 1.

The corrugated form of the side members 33 and the welding at the various points of contact with the pockets 20 gives each rack 32 great rigidity and strength, thus resisting distortion or twisting of the rack 32 out of alignment.

Each U-end member 34 has a mounting flange 3S stampedout of its body and bent outwardly in right angle relation with the end member 34. The tab 35 is provided with holes 36 to receive bolts for securing the rack 32 to a carrier chain (not shown) for conveying the rack 32 in endless belt form through the washer.

When the rack 32 is conveyed by the carrier chain to the discharge station, the bottle pockets 20 are positioned on their sides with the open end tilted slightly downwardly to facilitate ejection of the bottle. At the discharge station, the washer is ordinarily provided with a push finger 37 which enters the pocket 20 through the slots 28 as shown in Fig. 14 and pushes the bottle 38 outwardly as indicated by the dotted lines in said Fig. 14.

Fig. shows a tall half pint bottle 38 in inverted position as carried in my new bottle pocket 20. The bottle 38 is prevented from tipping to one side or the other by the shoulders 39 of the cylindrical extension 26 of the pocket 20. The inverted frustro-conical seat 27 upon which the mouth of the botle 38 rests causes a centering of the said bottle 38 within the pocket 20. Thus when the pocket 20 pauses at a rinse station, for example, over a spray nozzle 40, it is properly "aligned therewith so that rinse water 41 sprayed by the nozzle 40 will flush out the interior of the bottle 38 and drain therefrom.

When the pocket 20 is advanced from one station to the next, there may be some tendency for it to lean from one side to the other, and in the usual form of bottle pocket it would fall to one side or the other and remain out of line. In my bottle pocket 20, however, the shoulders 39 of the cylindrical neck portion 26 prevent the bottle 38 from tilting more than slightly out of an erect position, and since the bottle 38 is retained in substantially vertical position, the inverted frustro-conical seat 27 causes the bottle 38 to center and to stand vertically.

Fig. 4 shows the bottle 38 as viewed from the top of the pocket 20 and centered therein.

Similarly, Figs. 6 and 7 show a pint bottle; Figs. 8 and 9 show a quart bottle; Figs. and 11 show an oblong half gallon bottle; and Figs. 12 and 13 show a square half gallon bottle in connection with my new bottle pocket 20. It will be seen from -these figures how bottles of these various sizes and shapes are held in upright position in the bottle pocket 20.

I have shown and described one form of bottle pocket and rack embodying my invention but it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to this particular embodiment, the scope of my invention being determined by the appended claims.

' I claim:

1. A bottle-receiving pocket of the class described comprising a main body shell of substantially bullet-shaped longitudinal cross section and hexagonal lateral cross section, said main body shell being open at the large end thereof and having a depending cylindrical extension at the opposite end, said cylindrical extension being provided with an inverted frustro-conical seat at the end remote from the main body shell.

2. A bottle-receiving pocket of the class described comprising a shell having a relatively prismatic main body section open at one end and having a circumferential rounded shoulder at the opposite end thereof, a short cylindrical neck extending from said shoulder and axially aligned therewith, and opposed obliquely inturned throat portions at the end of said neck remote from said shoulder.

3. A bottle-receiving pocket of the class described comprising a shell having a main body portion of relatively elongated prismatic form and of somewhat hexagonal cross section, said main body portion being open at one end and having a peripheral inturned shoulder at the opposite end, said shoulder having a depending short cylindrical neck projecting therefrom, and said cylindrical neck being provided at the end remote from the shoulder with a substantially funnel-shaped throat depending therefrom.

4. A bottle-receiving pocket of the class described comprising a shell having a somewhat prismatic main body portion of relatively hexagonal cross section, two opposed walls thereof being substantially the same distance apart as the two opposed corners formed by the pairs of walls therebetween, said main body portion being open at one end and having a peripheral inturned shoulder at the opposite end, said shoulder having a depending short cylindrical neck projecting therefrom at the end remote from the main body portion, and said cylindrical neck being provided at the end remote from the shoulder with a substantially funnel-shaped throat depending therefrom.

5. A bottle receiving pocket of the class described comprising a shell having a somewhat prismatic main body portion of relatively hexagonal cross section, two 0pposed walls thereof being substantially the same distance apart as the two opposed corners formed by the pairs of walls therebetween, said main body portion being open at one end and having a peripheral inturned shoulder at the opposite end, said shoulder having a depending short cylindrical neck projecting therefrom at the end remote from the main body portion, said cylindrical neck being provided at the end remote from the shoulder with a substantially funnel-shaped throat depending therefrom, a slot being provided in said shell at the throat and neck end thereof projecting toward and aligned with one of said corners of the main body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

